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Expanding America's Petroleum Power: Geopolitics in the Third Oil Era

Expanding America's Petroleum Power: Geopolitics in the Third Oil Era

Abstract

The majority of world petroleum trade remains dominated by nation-state companies, often directed by authoritarian regimes that wield energy riches as weapons of influence or intimidation. There has never been a more opportune time for America to capture the geopolitical "soft power" benefits from greater oil production and exports.

Key Findings

The global economy requires more petroleum now than 40 years ago, for transportation and trade—making oil more critical than ever.

If, in the next decade, the U.S. were to replicate the shale production growth of this past decade, the nation would reap not only a second shale boom but also a tectonic shift in the geopolitical status quo.